Josh Schertz’s Five-Out Machine Makes Saint Louis the Atlantic 10 Pacesetter

Watch three consecutive half-court trips inside Chaifetz Arena and the mathematical stress Josh Schertz inflicts on opposing defenses becomes unmistakable: five shooters spaced well beyond the college arc, zero stationary post cloggers, and crisp split-cuts triggered the instant senior forward Elijah Strong catches at the top of the key. Before help defenders can tag the paint, junior guard Trey Green is already rising into an uncontested rhythm three as 3-0 Saint Louis stretches another lead.

Across the 14-team Atlantic 10 Conference, early November results suggest the nation's premier basketball-centric league is primed to reclaim true multi-bid status when Selection Sunday arrives in March 2027. Nine programs remain unbeaten through opening week—including six sitting 3-0—while traditional heavyweights VCU and Dayton retool dangerous, high-ceiling rosters capable of turning every winter road date from Richmond to Philadelphia into a Quadrant 1 street fight.

Chaifetz Spacing Versus Siegel Center Length: Saint Louis, VCU, and Dayton

Market oddsmakers have installed Josh Schertz's Saint Louis Billikens (3-0, 2-0 at home) as the clear conference standard-bearer at +20000 on the 2027 national championship futures board—shortest in the entire Atlantic 10. Schertz's system is engineered to dominate effective field-goal percentage (eFG%, which weights three-pointers for their 50 percent bonus value) and defensive rebound rate by forcing opposing bigs twenty-five feet from the basket. Junior sharpshooter Trey Green, 6-foot-5 senior guard Quentin Jones, senior guard Isaac Holmes, 6-foot-6 junior wing Amari McCottry, and 6-foot-5 junior forward Ishan Sharma orbit seamlessly around 6-foot-8 stretch hub Elijah Strong, generating elite offensive rating (ORTG, points scored per 100 possessions) numbers without heavy isolation volume.

Chasing Saint Louis on the futures board are Phil Martelli Jr.'s VCU Rams (+30000) and Anthony Grant's Dayton Flyers (+50000), despite early-season tests leaving VCU at 1-1 and Dayton at 1-2. In Richmond, Martelli Jr. blends uptempo spacing with long-armed defensive disruption through 6-foot-11 senior forward Lazar Djokovic, 6-foot-8 senior forward Michael Belle, 6-foot-9 junior Torey Alston, and dynamic guards Ahmad Nowell, Brandon Jennings, and 6-foot-7 Blake Harper. In Ohio, Dayton's two early home setbacks belie top-40 talent anchored by 7-foot-1 junior forward Amal L'Etang, bruising 6-foot-8 senior Jalen Haynes, and experienced senior guards Zaide Lowery, Evan Dickey, Will Maxwell, and Makai Grant—a group built to surge once frontcourt chemistry settles.

Six Teams at 3-0: Davidson, George Washington, Rhode Island, Duquesne, and Richmond

What makes the 2026-27 Atlantic 10 uniquely treacherous is the veteran quality packed into its unbeaten upper half. Matt McKillop's Davidson Wildcats (3-0, including a road win) look noticeably more athletic at the forward spots, surrounding senior sharpshooters Sam Brown and John Carter Jr. with 6-foot-6 senior Josh Scovens and twin 6-foot-8 seniors JaQualon Roberts and John Nowland. In the nation's capital, Chris Caputo's George Washington Revolutionaries (3-0 at home) boast high-major wing athleticism in 6-foot-6 senior guard Terrance Arceneaux and 6-foot-9 senior forward Dylan James alongside veteran point guard Jean Aranguren and 6-foot-6 junior Felix Kossaras.

Three more clubs share that unblemished 3-0 ledger entering mid-November. Archie Miller has finally assembled a rugged, senior-heavy rotation at Rhode Island (3-0) featuring physical 6-foot-6 guards Jahmere Tripp and Jason Fontenet II, senior lead guard Jonah Hinton, and 6-foot-9 senior Mouhamed Sow. In Pittsburgh, Dru Joyce III's Duquesne Dukes (3-0 at home) pair relentless backcourt hounds Tarence Guinyard, Brandon Hall, and Jake DiMichele with 6-foot-11 senior center Ege Demir, while Chris Mooney's Richmond Spiders (3-0) execute surgical Princeton-action backcuts through 6-foot-6 senior Jamie Kaiser Jr., 6-foot-5 senior guard Derin Saran, senior Collin Tanner, and 6-foot-9 senior Andrew Ball.

Unbeaten Ramblers, Patriots, and Hawks Headline Relentless Mid-Tier Depth

Three additional 2-0 squads ensure there are virtually no breathers across an 18-game league slate. Drew Valentine's Loyola Chicago Ramblers (2-0 at home) remain an elite defensive efficiency unit—suppressing opponent assist rates and points per possession—behind senior guards Jayden Dawson, Donald Hand Jr., and Ryan Agarwal, 6-foot-8 senior forward Xavier Amos, and 6-foot-9 junior center Malick Diallo. Tony Skinn's George Mason Patriots (2-0) bring suffocating Fairfax physicality behind senior guards Brayden O'Connor, Baraka Okojie, and Malik Presley plus 6-foot-8 senior Elijah Jones, while Steve Donahue has the Saint Joseph's Hawks at 2-0 on Hawk Hill with 6-foot-6 junior Jaiden Glover-Toscano and towering seniors Gavin Marrs (7-foot-0) and Sean Logan (6-foot-11).

Even the bottom third of the current standings carries dangerous upset potential on winter weeknights. Mike Magpayo's Fordham Rams sit 2-1 (2-0 at Rose Hill) behind skilled international frontcourt seniors Akira Jacobs (6-foot-10) and Rikus Schulte (6-foot-9) alongside senior guard Lateef Patrick Jr. St. Bonaventure (1-1, already owning a road victory) transitions under coach Mike MacDonald with 6-foot-10 players Benjamin Bill and Joe Grahovac plus 6-foot-7 junior Ari Fulton, while Darris Nichols's La Salle Explorers (1-2) deploy physical frontcourt seniors Jerome Brewer Jr., Noah Collier, and 7-foot Bowyn Beatty.

2026-27 Atlantic 10 Winner Prediction and Multi-Bid March 2027 Trajectory

When nine of 14 schools open 2-0 or 3-0 while Dayton and VCU bring elite athletic ceilings from behind, conference net efficiency rises across the board. Unlike top-heavy mid-major leagues where one slip ruins an at-large resume, the 2026-27 Atlantic 10 is positioned to generate multiple Quadrant 1 road opportunities between January and March 2027, giving the league a realistic path to two or three NCAA Tournament bids if Saint Louis, VCU, Dayton, and Loyola Chicago handle December non-conference tests.

Official Conference Winner Prediction: Saint Louis Billikens. VCU's length under Phil Martelli Jr. and Loyola Chicago's half-court defense will keep the regular-season race tight into late February 2027, and Dayton remains a prime bounce-back candidate once Amal L'Etang hits full stride. Over 18 conference games, however, Josh Schertz's mathematical shot-profile edge—trading contested midrange jumpers for layups and rhythm threes behind Trey Green, Quentin Jones, and Elijah Strong—makes Saint Louis the cleanest bet to cut down the Atlantic 10 nets.